Huey P. Long Bridge reopens ahead of schedule

The Huey P. Long Bridge reopened more than eight hours ahead of schedule Sunday night, ending a nearly two-day closure as crews installed a massive steel truss as part of the $1.2 billion project to widen the bridge.

Elliot Kamenitz/The Times-PicayuneWorkers finished installation of a second truss on the Huey P. Long Bridge eight hours ahead of schedule Sunday.

The bridge was closed Saturday at 5 a.m. and was not scheduled to reopen until 5 a.m. today, but the work went more quickly than expected, according to state transportation officials, who opened the bridge Sunday about 8:30 p.m.

A similar two-day bridge closure in June to install the first of three 500-foot-long truss sections ended nine hours early. The final section is expected to be installed in April or May and will require another 48-hour bridge closure.

The project, which began in 2006 and is expected to be completed in 2013, will more than double the width of the bridge, adding a third lane and shoulders in both directions.